Man crafts a new genre of reality documentary film making for South African television, creating a contemporary series exploring 30-something’s, how they perceive themselves, their potential partners and subsequent interactions. This series aims to open closed doors and broaden perspectives in its pursuit of a candid look at Cape Town’s contemporary man.
Each episode explores a different aspect of the male persona through a cast of participants, with no previous television experience. In a city where women outnumber men three to one, these individuals test their audacity and awareness, through a series of dates, interviews and experiences.
Our characters give us an insight into why so many men in their 30’s are single. What influences Cape Town’s contemporary man? How does he interact socialize, break the ice, mingle and pick-up? Through the characters, Man exposes the workings of Cape Town’s social mechanism.
Man is the first dedicated documentary series to be set in Cape Town. Using local knowledge, lesser known locations and natural splendor coupled with its repute as a vibrant city, the viewer becomes acquainted with Cape Town as a fifth Character. Every aspect of the show is local, from the cast, crew, and production, to the music. With 120 locations used to film Man, the city is shown from multiple perspectives. Inspiring as it is enlightening.
Man is an unscripted reality-documentary; it cuts across race, religion, and culture. The insight it provides is controversial and dynamic, but most importantly, honest. The opinions expressed are uncensored, and the characters given carte blanche with their views and beliefs. The dates are a product of the characters resourcefulness and the unpredictable results give us a taste of what is quintessentially Man.
FAQs:
How was the idea conceptualized?
There are a prevalent amount of single men in their 30s in Cape Town. A little investigating revealed a variety of reasons behind this. Some guys chose to be single, others were single because they found the traditional bar/club meeting arenas did not present them with compatible dates. The more we looked at the dating scene, and the single guys involved in it, the more it became apparent that there were hundreds of opinions and experiences, and no South African vehicle to disclose these. Around this time SABC put out a brief for ‘Dates Beyond Disaster’, they were looking for a documentary series on dating. We spotted the perfect vehicle to lift the lid on Cape Town’s dating scene, and MAN was pitched to SABC.
Why man/men?
Men pose an unexplored emotional resource, and are often seen as a sport watching, beer drinking, sex crazed stereotype. Making a documentary about man offered an opportunity to unpack what men are like, a chance to test that stereotype. By using participants with no prior television experience and with no script it seemed possible to put man under a microscope as see how he’d react.
Why is it relevant?
The series’ relevance lies in the sheer number of single men in Cape Town, and the lack of an obvious rationale. Our social habits are vastly different from our parent’s generation, we are pioneers of our own conduct. What is influencing men in this city: Is it career focus? Have we lost the ability to date? Are we only comfortable approaching strangers in nightclubs and bars? MAN tries to examine the motives behind men being single, but also looks at the institute of dating. A great deal of the dates are outdoor activities taking place in daylight hours, with an emphasis on having fun before sitting down opposite each other for dinner. We live in a fragmented society where breaking the ice across a table might seem more like crossing a mine field than getting to know each other. MAN observes how we date, but it also introduces ideas about dating, alternatives to what might be an uninspired custom.
Selection of characters? (Henri’s late inclusion)
MAN is a reality-documentary, we wanted 4 interesting, charismatic characters. We tried actor agencies, model houses, advertising agencies, set up facebook groups, none of these yielded the flavour of character we were after. In the end, we found our participants by getting into the single scene, a sort of guerilla recruiting. We networked through friends, hung out at nightclubs, bars, coffee shops, and met people through word of mouth. We recruited in the environment we wanted to document. Our team also specifically recruited for people who had flexible jobs, we did not want the character to have to resign his job in order to film MAN. Henri is a case in point, his modeling contract in Greece overlapped with our shooting schedule. We felt Henri’s personality was integral to MAN and accommodated him by introducing him in episode 4.
Cape Town as location / 5th character.
New York as used by Sex and the City, really struck a chord with us. The series gave the city a persona, let it evolve as a fifth character. We wanted to do something similar with Cape Town, give her a platform from which to flaunt her magnificence. Cape Town is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, though many of her splendors have received little coverage. There has never been a dedicated documentary filmed in Cape Town. We wanted to show a different aspect to Cape Town, highlight some of her lesser know locations. Give the viewer a local’s perspective on the city.
Dates/girls?
Man is an authentic documentary series. Dates had to be sourced by the characters, it was up to them to engage and interact with girls. We left it up to the characters to employ whatever guile or wit they thought necessary to secure a lady’s interest. Camera presence added another dimension, not all girls are enamored by the presence of an all-seeing lens. If characters were unable to find a partner for a date, they had to sit the activity out, although we did arrange two blind dates.
Challenges and difficulties?
Creating MAN posed several challenges. The 13 part series was shot in 13 weeks, and in 120 locations. It was our first big series, with a relatively inexperienced crew. We wanted to produce a high quality series for South African television, making use of time-lapse and steady cameras to elicit Cape Town’s splendor. We laid out aspiring goals for ourselves, and we had confidence in our ability to create a high quality production.
We filmed MAN in Cape Town over peak season. Logistically this meant being organized and properly prepared. Cape Town’s weather can change dramatically without notice; we knew we had to make full use of good conditions when we had them. Shooting during the holiday season meant most of the public locations we used were busy. We had to use small teams in crowded places, wanting to create a natural feel. It can be difficult to establish this ambience with a crew in tow.
The cast had no television experience, and while intentional, we still need to establish a relationship with the cast and the camera. Something experienced actors will already have.
We had a great crew, really competent and resourceful, so while there were challenges, the experience was exceptional.
Music aspect?
We wanted current and local music for MAN, fortunately the South African bands and producers we approached were all keen to be involved with the series and contribute to the sound track. We think we have a great homegrown feel with the MAN soundtrack.
How does African Renaissance align itself with the views expressed by the characters in MAN?
MAN is a reality-documentary series, we wanted to stay true to the spirit of documentary film making by allowing the characters complete candor. This is only a sample section of men living in the city of Cape Town; it does not necessarily reflect the views of all men, or the views of African Renaissance. What MAN wants to do is create a platform for debate and engage with the South African public. We hope people will express their thoughts and opinions through our interactive website.
